America's Best Barbecue: Recipes and Techniques for Prize-Winning Ribs, Wings, Brisket, and More

400 Pages·2014·1.61 MB·English

by  Arthur Aguirre

Copyright © 2014 by Arthur Aguirre
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Aguirre, Arthur.
America's best barbecue : recipes and techniques for prize-winning ribs, wings, brisket, and more / Arthur Aguirre.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-62636-256-7 (alk. paper)
1. Barbecuing--United States. 2. Cooking (Smoked foods) 3. Barbecuing--Competitions--United States.
I. Title. II. Title: Recipes and techniques for prize-winning ribs, wings, brisket, and more. III. Title: America's best
barbeque.
TX840.B3A339 2013
641.7'6--dc23
2013031766
Printed in China
CONTENTS
Introduction
A -W B R
WARD INNING ARBECUE ECIPES
B R
OVINE ECIPES
H R
AWG ECIPES
Y R
ARDBIRD ECIPES
M -Q R
EXI UE ECIPES
F C F
AMILY OOKOUT AVORITES
S P & S D
MALL LATES IDE ISHES
S R
EAFOOD ECIPES
O R
THER ECIPES
R , S , & M
UBS AUCES ORE
A , C , A P L
CKNOWLEDGMENTS ONTRIBUTORS ND RODUCT ISTINGS
A ' T BBQ C
MERICAS OP OMPETITIONS
Index
INTRODUCTION
BBQ.I.AM
A
s if I needed to write a cookbook to show how passionate I am about barbecue. My
devotion for smoked hunks of meat culled from heritage cattle, hogs, and fowl was
an evolution that started a decade ago. It began the day I realized that I had no idea what
barbecue was or how to prepare such smoky goodness. is epiphany came aer I
served undercooked pieces of chicken to my friends at a backyard gathering.
Not to be discouraged, I invested in the most popular type of grill in the US, a
propane gas grill. Unfortunately, over time the grill built up grease and I had myself a
�reball on the deck of my apartment. In a panic, I showered the low-grade grill with
water that not only put the �re out, but also gave the neighbor’s outdoor furniture below
a �lthy grease bath.
For years, I overcooked and undercooked every protein put on the steel grates. Even
those TV food channels failed to improve my culinary skills. How could that be? ey
make grilling look so easy! is changed, however, when my wife bought me an off-the-
shelf smoker that could only cook for a few hours at a time until the �re smothered itself
due to poor air�ow. Nonetheless, I learned about indirect cooking from that �imsy �ame
extinguisher. As a result, I no longer burned my food and everything I cooked from that
moment on was deemed edible by friends and family.
Little did I know that other folks had the same issues I had endured. ose of us that
are considered barbecue challenged, myself included, �nd solace on the Internet, where
barbecue forums allow enthusiasts the ability to discuss shortcomings and improve our
game over the embers. rough this community, I picked up on barbecue concepts and I
proudly showed off my smoking skills to friends who awed at the sight of smoke rings
and moisture oozing from the meat �bers.
Along the way, my barbecue became re�ned and I became comfortable with cooking
traditional barbecue in addition to the foods I grew up feasting on, which I like to call
So-Cal Chicano cuisine. Such gluttonous recipes include tamales, albondigas, mole, and
more. is Southern California transplant realized that the Heartland was looking for
something like this, so I started my unique style called Mexi-Que. My goal is to blend
two traditions into one product and the results have been amazing.
My barbecue competition team, Major League Grilling, formed when my good friend
Scott omas invited me to compete in his local backyard competition. I’ve been hooked
ever since. e friends I talked to that day are still around and we talk about Q’ing all
day long. Competition barbecue allows me to meet new folks and make new friends
from all different backgrounds. And while I’m at it, winning trophies is great for my
competitive nature.
Not all of us are born into barbecue royalty and handed a wealth of knowledge from
generations of ground-digging pit builders (although that would be awesome). I suggest
doing the second best thing, �nding yourself a friend born into barbecue royalty! All
kidding aside, there is no secret to barbecuing; it just takes patience and practice. How
do you manage time in your busy life for patience and practice, you say? Start by lighting
a �re; drag the kids away from their computers, turn on some tunes, and chill outside
with a can of barley and hops. e purpose of this book is to enjoy making the best
barbecue in America, so I hope you brought enough cans for the both of us.
Before this journey began, I knew nothing about barbecue. I didn’t know the various
types of ribs. I didn’t know it took longer than one hour to make pulled pork. I didn’t
know to that pink chicken was a bad thing. Now all I do is talk, eat, sleep and breathe
barbecue … and I win!
In my �rst competition in 2010, my team was called Work of Art BBQ team. We
placed third in ribs, third in pork steaks, second to last in appetizers and fourth place
overall (out of 18 teams) at the inaugural GrillinFools Backyard Barbecue Bash. At the
end of that contest, I was exhausted, my back hurt and I was stressed out from turning in
the food. For some bizarre reason, I loved every minute of it. But in the back of my
mind, I had thoughts that if I didn’t do well, this would be the �rst and last barbecue
competition I ever do. Fortunately, I did do well and knowing that I can get better was
all the validation I needed to pursue more competitions.
With the help of my wife, Jamie, and my buddy, Tony “MacGyver” St. John, I
rebranded our team Major League Grilling (MLG). In addition, for fun I started a
barbecue blog under the same name, www.majorleaguegrilling.com. Aer some
encouragement from Scott omas, the founder of the www.grillinfools.com blog, I
began blogging about my experiences in competition barbecue and Mexi-Que recipes.
For the next couple of years, I wrote and folks positively responded to my barbecue
musings. As a result, my blog receives over twenty thousand hits a month for something
I thought only interested me.
Winning obviously plays a big part of my success. As MLG, we have won awards in all
four main categories (chicken, ribs, pork and brisket). Furthermore, I win with the least
impressive setup you could �nd at a barbecue competition. e best description I can
offer is that we look like a destitute tailgate party. at may be a bit harsh, but I like it
that way. It’s fun going up against the guys sleeping in the RV’s and hauling ten thousand
dollar smokers. at is what motivates me and I have all the con�dence in the world in
my abilities. As a result, my recipe for success is lots of practice and the desire to work
harder than everyone else.
Despite the early success, I have only just begun and I keep improving. ere are
many proven barbecue cooks that have more accolades and trophies than I do; I tend to
look up to them and if possible pick their brains about barbecue. I found that learning
from the successful pitmasters is a way for good cooks to become great. Major League
Grilling is on the right track, but much more work needs to be done. But I got one thing
that very few barbecue icons have … a cookbook!
A PIT COOKER’S CREED
T
here is no such thing as bad barbecue when it’s cooked right. is is the only piece of
information you should know. Too much emphasis on what kind of sauce or rub you
use, or what region of the country you are from, and you’ll miss out on what really
matters. Cooking great barbecue has always been—and always will be—about the basics:
heat, smoke, and meat.
Let me be clear: real barbecue by my de�nition is smoking meat over wood/charcoal
at a low temperature until it is tender and juicy. But I happen to think grilling is also a
perfectly acceptable method for adding �avor to various cuts of meat. In fact, for the
purpose of this cookbook, all outdoor cooking techniques will hereby be called
barbecue. Why? Because I love diverse forms of outdoor cooking and I’ve spent some of
my existence on the West Coast where anything on the grill is called barbecue.
As I mentioned above, the best barbecue is cooked right. Well, how do we know when
it’s right? Acquiring skills and techniques is the best way to know this. Starting with the
basics will help the most inexperienced cook understand how to produce the best
barbecue.
Lesson number one: we should all know the internal temperatures for safe
consumption.
Internal Temperature Chart (degrees F)
Ground Meat: 160
Poultry: 165
Seafood: 140
Pork (Medium): 140
Pork (Well Done): 160
Beef (Rare): 120
Beef (Medium): 140
Beef (Well Done): 160
Memorize this chart; otherwise keep coming back to it for reference. ese temperatures
are necessary to know when your barbecue is done. Knowing that, invest in an internal
read thermometer. It takes the guesswork out and you do not have to sacri�ce a piece of
meat by cutting into it to make sure it is done.
I love barbecue because it is a hobby that requires little or no cooking experience. Not
every outdoor pitmaster was handed down generations of barbecue knowledge. Heck,
Dad probably had a propane grill he found on sale at Wally World, not anything to brag
about. For a newbie to barbecue, it can be overwhelming. Despite this, the idea is to
expand horizons and waistlines because I want to push the limits of traditional barbecue
while paying a great deal of homage to the classics.
Lesson number two: the great thing about cooking in general is that you can only get
better with … practice! at’s right, practice, a word that’s like �ngernails on a
chalkboard. At this point, if you choose to separate yourself from the same repetitive
cooking style, practicing can make good barbecue great. All of a sudden, every time you
cook, the food becomes consistent. e meat melts in your mouth and is juicy, while
your skill and “feel” for cooking is enhanced. Practice is a grill technician’s best friend.
When I mention “feel,” most seasoned pitmasters know what I’m talking about. It is
not about cooking barbecue on a timer; rather, it is what comes naturally. ere will be a
time when you can pick up a slab of ribs out of the pit and say, “It’s done.” at’s
barbecue!
THE GRILL TECHNICIAN (#GRILLTECH)
G
rill technicians (GTs) are a special breed. ese folks are above-average pitmasters
who know their way around a grill. Knowledge possessed by GTs ranges from when
to apply sauce to explaining the Minion Method. is level of mastery can lead GTs to
believe they have better barbecue than any restaurant in the area … and more than
likely, they are right. How do you know if you’re a grill technician? Here are some telltale
signs:
•   Ability to tell when barbecue is done by how many cans of beer were consumed.
•   You cook barbecue year-round.
•   You clear snow from the backdoor to the pits.
•   Saturday night is reserved for all-night cooks.
•   You have more grills than you have kids.
•   Foil is your friend.
•   In addition to your beer fridge, you have a meat fridge.
•   You store barbecue TV shows on DVR.
•   You wake up smelling like smoke.
•   You turned your cooler into a food-holding hot box.
•   You’ve explained to a newbie that fall-off-the-bone ribs are overcooked.
•   You can fabricate a smoker out of a �le cabinet.
•   anksgiving turkey is brined in plastic garbage bags.
•   You accrue decorative pig trinkets.
•   You have a �re stoker system that looks like the cockpit of a spaceship.
•   You believe that every time someone boils ribs, a kitty dies.
And for the tenacious grill technician who also has a blog and posts photos on social
media …
•   Having more food photos than family pictures (guilty!).
is does not suggest GTs are detached; just the opposite. For instance, the time spent
around a grill attracts the whole family. Low and slow barbecue allows much-needed
time spent outdoors partaking in activities like a relaxing game of washers or cornhole.
In fact, neighbors dri over when they smell the smoke, followed by friends stopping by
for a peek of what is cooking. Next thing you know, the whole neighborhood is �ocking
to your patio for some of the best Q around. Barbecue is not only a passion, it builds
communities.
TYPES OF COOKERS
L
esson number three: know your cooker! ere are a variety of cookers on the market
today, but many folks fail to choose the one that is right for them. Mistakes lead to
grills being le outside to rust, then placed on the sidewalk for free. Nobody is at fault;
most likely the grill wasn’t the right �t for the griller. However, a little research would
solve this issue. Here are some of the most popular types of cookers on the market:
Kettle ($80 to $500)—e standard in mass-produced backyard cookers. An
inexpensive and durable design that has generated a cult culture spread across
generations. A kettle is a great cooker to handle direct and indirect grilling for the
novice and GT alike.
Drum Smoker ($0 to $500)—Typically constructed using a �y-�ve-gallon drum
barrel and customized to the pitmaster’s speci�cations. For example, drum smokers can
have between one and three grill grates inside, swivel casters for mobility, multiple
temperature gauges, and a custom paint job. e options are endless and you’ll get the
most bang for your buck.
Bullet ($50 to $500)—Varies in size and grill space. e design saves space on the
backyard patio and is able to cook at low and slow temperatures when carefully watched.
Bullet smokers furnished with a water pan are recommended but this does not indicate
better quality. Look for durable materials, proper air�ow, and ample grill space on a
good bullet smoker.
Pellet ($500 to $1,500)—Designed in various con�gurations such as kamado, offset,
and vertical cabinets. Pellet cookers use compressed wood pellets (available in many
varieties), which are loaded in a hopper and burn at a controlled temperature. is is a
set-it-and-forget-it cooker. ey are somewhat limited on grill space, but convenience
more than makes up for the shortcomings.
Kamado ($800 to $1,300)—You’ll be amazed at the amount of fuel you will save!
Ceramic cookers provide excellent insulation, which is great for smoking meats, but
don't go crazy with all that carcass at one time … they offer the least amount of grill
space. Despite this, kamado cookers are easy to use and will make you look like a
bona�de pitmaster.
Insulated Gravity Fed ($1,000 to $3,000)—For serious barbecue competition cooks or
catering businesses. Efficient fuel consumption and plenty of rack space for lots of meat
are the strengths of this cooker. is set-it-and-forget-it smoker is worth the investment.